I know it’s been quite a while since I last did a podcast review and I shall save you from hearing (reading) me repeating my usual excuses, and go straight to some of the new Catholic podcasts I’ve added to my collections in the past couple of months.

This one is not exactly *NEW* new, but it is one of the recent additions to the big family of SQPN. If you like food, and hopefully like Catholicism too, you’ll probably like The Catholic Foodie podcast (rss). Join Jeff Young on his foodie adventures where he talks about faith and food.

Another new member of SQPN is the In Between Sundays podcast (rss), a podcast that gives you the essentials to live in the world outside of church. Join Nick & Pat Padley where they talk about life as Catholic young adults, ways to grow in faith including specific prayers, websites to visit and practices. They believe that being people of faith requires more than just one hour on Sunday, and we all know that they’re not the only ones who believe that. By helping you develop your body, mind, soul and emotions, the Padley brothers hope to help you become the best person you can be.

As its name suggests, the Among Women podcast (rss) is specially created to celebrate the beauty and grace of Catholic Faith and Life among women. Join Pat Gohn as she does some faith sharing, teaching, and conversation woman to woman. I’ve just started listening to this podcast after it recently the SQPN family, and I’m already hooked by Pat’s beautiful “radio DJ” voice.

Thanks to Lisa Hendey’s mention on her Catholic Moments podcast (rss), I was made aware of the Marian Cenacle Rosary Podcast (rss) by Susan Bailey. If you’re a frequent listener to the Catholic Music Express (rss) podcast or the Catholic Rockers podcast (rss), or if you’re familiar with the Catholic music scene in general, I’m sure you’ll be familiar as Susan as singer, as well as the person behind GrapeVine Online ministry and the GrapeVine News Minute podcast. Susan is also the author and composer of a Catholic book and CD, Mary, Queen of Peace Meditation Guide & Sung Rosary, which this podcast is based on. The Marian Cenacle Rosary Podcast now has a new supplement known as “How Can I Keep from Singing,” a faith-in-action podcast with personal sharing from Susan on how praying the rosary, studying the word of God and other spiritual exercises has nourished her faith and kept her strong in the midst of trials.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably also know that Deacon Tom Fox, who does the Deacon Moments section on the Catholic Moments podcast has started a new podcast with his lovely wife, Dee Fox. The Catholic Vitamins podcast (rss) is dedicated to helping you find the right nutrients that can add a lift and just the right amount of ‘zest’ to your faith practice.

SQPN’s official shwag guy Jeff Nielsen has finally caught the bug and started his own podcast, Catholic Pilot (rss). Jeff talks about his adventures as a commercial air pilot.

If you like reading, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the Catholic Book Club podcast (rss). Join Katherine Barren from Catholics in a Small Town as she interviews a series of noted Catholic new media personalities and others to talk about the book, Choosing Beauty by Gina Loehr, and how choosing beauty can affect our lives in profound ways.

We’ve had quite a few podcasts for and by women in this post. If you’re a man looking for some inspiration and spiritual guidance, you might be interested in the  Catholic Men’s Podcasts sponsored by the National Fellowship of Catholic Men and the Catholic Men’s Fellowship of Pittsburgh PA. There are 2 channels. Channel 1 (rss) is an ongoing weekly audio reflection of the upcoming Sunday Mass Readings from the perspective of Catholic male spirituality. Channel 2 (rss) is a compilation of hundreds of hours of various audio presentations geared toward Catholic masculine spirituality, inspiration, and general faith formation.

Last year was the Year of St Paul, so for those of you seeking to study the life and teachings of St Paul, you might want to listen to the Catholic Perspective on Paul podcast (rss). Created by Taylor Marshall, this podcast is an outgrowth of his book, The Catholic Perspective on Paul, which is set to be released in summer of 2010.

If you find some of the descriptions I’ve given above look familiar, let me admit that I’ve been a little lazy, and have “lift” most of the descriptions right from the related websites themselves.

Whew! That was quite a long list!

For links to these and other fine podcasts, please hop over to my Podcasts page.

Tags: Catholic, Podcasts, Reviews

I was recently introduced to the concept of AudioBoos. Apparently, AudioBoo is an application that runs on the iPhone/iPod Touch that allows the user to make short, impromptu audio recordings and post them on the web. These are then made available via RSS or as podcasts, which friends or anyone interested can subscribe to via iTunes or other aggregators.

Since many of my friends are iPhone/iPod Touch users, I started collecting and listening to AudioBoo feeds of some of them. Here is my little collection so far:

• Barb in Nebraska (ultimate SQPN groupie)
• Dr Paul Camarata (host of The Saintcast)
• Greg Willits (co-host of The Catholics Next Door)
• Fr Seraphim Beshoner (host of Catholic Under the Hood)
• Pat Padley (co-host of In Between Sundays)
• Rob Williams (host of Catholics Down Yonder)
• Lisa Hendey (host of Catholic Moments Podcast, co-host of Faith & Family Live! Podcast)
• Captain Jeff (official “shwag maker” for SQPN)

If you have an AudioBoo feed to share with the rest of us, please let me know.

Tags: Podcasts, Reviews, technology

After much anticipation, I finally got to watch the latest Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, last Tuesday. Many say this is the darkest movie of the series so far, and I can’t help but agree. Gone are the days of child-like innocence. No more childish “play-magic”, which is now replaced by dark spells and potions (such as those named “living death” ).

On a slightly lighter note, the kids have all grown up to beautiful young men and women. So naturally, amidst add that teenage angst, is romantic feelings beginning to sprout. It is obvious in this movie that love is in the air. The youngsters begin to pair up, and I’m are still left wondering why Harry and Hermione are not an item. Apparently, I’m not the only one who feels this way. Steven Greydanus of DecentFilms.com shares my sentiments too.

Heck, I’m not sure I buy Harry not taking a pass at Hermione (or at least thinking about it) while their respective romantic interests are both snogging others, with her vulnerable and them both available.

Voldemort does not appear as Voldemort per se in this movie. Instead, we get a peek into his younger days as Tom Riddle. And we see hints leading to the next book in the series Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

One particular theme of this movie that struck me deeply was Dumbledore telling Harry that “he’s older and less important“. That had me squirming in my seat. The ending in particular, hinted at euthanasia or mercy killing. I didn’t like it.

Overall, this is more of a linker between the previous Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the next book. I personally preferred Order of the Phoenix. This one is a little too dark for my liking. particularly the ending. Looking forward to the first of the 2-part Deathly Hallows movie that’s tentatively coming next year.

Meanwhile, I’ll like to point you to a very well-written article I read on CatholicExchange.com, titled Harry Potter and the Terrifying Order to Obey.

Tags: movies, Reviews

That’s what Father Barron was tempted to scream at a recent screening of the movie, Angels and Demons. I think Dan Brown has more than got things backwards, he’s got all the facts twisted!

Tags: Catholic, education, movies, Resources, Reviews, videos, youtube

First of all, I must admit.. I’m not a Trekkie. I only have vague memories of watching the series on TV with my dad, who was quite the sci-fi geek in the family. (Dad loved watching Star Wars, Star Trek and Babylon 5, while mom and I would rather he turned in early so we could catch up with the Hong Kong dramas that was on the other channel ) I don’t remember any of the punchlines or quotes from the series. All I remember was the pointy-eared commander, whom I later learned was Spock.

However, it turns out that most of online friends are avid fans of the franchise, just like my dad. So if I wanted to counted among the “in” kids, I better start gaining some “Trek cred” now. Besides, all the reviews that I’ve so far on this latest installment has been highly positive. Plus there was the cute Zachery Quinto (who plays my favorite villian, Sylar in my favorite TV series Heroes) taking up the role of Spock.

So I woke up bright and early to catch the 10:30am show at a cineplex in town. There was only 1 word to describe the experience.. AWESOME!!!!

The visuals and special effects were STUNNING! The dialogue was witty and humorous. Quinto was a joy to watch, as was Chris Pine, who plays James T. Kirk. I also found Anton Yelchin’s role as the Pavel Chekov very amusing. The final battle between USS Enterprise and the Narada kept me at the edge of my seat. Well done, J. J. Abrams and team!

Overall, this was a truly enjoyable movie, even for someone like me who has practically zero background on “Trek history“.  A must watch, whether you’re a Trekkie or not! If only dad was still around to enjoy this with me.

Tags: movies, Reviews